Swedish FM criticises US passivity on ME

STOCKHOLM: Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds on Monday criticized the United States for not doing more to resolve the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

“It is of course unfortunate that the US has been so passive in light of the great possibilities it has to exert influence, especially when it comes to Israel,” Freivalds said in an interview on Swedish radio station P1. “It is obvious that they understand that they have to do something ... that they can’t remain as passive as they have been so far,” she added.

Freivalds, who visited Tunisia over the weekend ahead of the planned Arab summit there, also expressed regret at its surprise cancellation.

“I guess they reached the realization that they couldn’t bridge the gap that existed between the reform-minded countries, which in fact are in the majority, and ... Libya and Syria, which have a hard time accepting ... the democratization process,” she said. She added that she remained optimistic that the Arab League could soon get back on track. —AFP

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